As a business coach, your area of expertise is educating business owners.  You share tips on how to operate a successful and profitable business.  You do so though with one-on-one explanations, training exercises, and written materials that can be referenced at anytime.  Most business coaches have a special step-by-step program that they use.  You should be no different.  Whether your current program has you working one-on-one with your client or with your client and their employees, leadership training is vital.

In small businesses, there is usually one or two leaders.  With medium sized business, there are more, but usually less than twenty.  Leadership training should involve each member of management or those on their way up the company ladder.  Be sure your client knows this.  Yes, you can educate them on leadership development and they can later train their staff with this knowledge, but there are a number of benefits to doing it yourself.  After all, you are a trained and experienced expert on the subject.

In terms of leadership training, get started with your client.  This is the business owner or operating manager.  Monitor a few hours of their day.  How do they manage their time?  How do they interact with clients and employees?  Is their time well-managed?  Take notes throughout the day.  Commend your client for taking positive steps, but make suggestions where improvements are needed.  Finally, discuss with them what you will use to train their employees, particularly those in or on the way to management positions.

Speaking of which, what will you do?  Since medium sized businesses typically have less than twenty in management positions, you are at an advantage.  You should have a relatively small group to work with.  This gives you an edge.  You do not have to entertain or the hold the attention of a room of 50.  A small group also makes interactive exercises easy.

To get started, ask each team member to describe his or her day from start to finish.  Ask them to include the little things, such as bathroom breaks, smoke breaks, socializing with coworkers, and checking email.  You will collect these notes and read them aloud.  Ask the audience member to vote on which manager is making the best use of their time.  Conclude the exercise by highlighting the importance of time management in the workplace.  Then, share tips on how to improve the use of time.  This includes waiting until scheduled breaks to go to the bathroom, smoke, and socialize with coworkers.

Another ideal exercise focuses on conflict resolution.  Those in management positions deal with many conflicts.  Other employees approach them with complaints.  These complaints may be about the poor work environment or coworker troubles.  Managers also deal with customer complaints.  In these situations, the wrong action can lead to conflict.  Use role-playing to highlight your point.  Ask two managers to role-play.  Have one be a customer with a valid complaint.  See how the two handle the situation on their own in front of the group.  Then, analyze.  Show for the room what the two volunteers did right, what they did wrong, and offer tips to reduce and resolve workplace conflict.

In addition to time management and conflict resolution, good communication skills are a must for those in management.  As previously stated, managers need to communicate their bosses, coworkers, and clients.  They will provide direction and solve complications as they arise.  To do this, good communication skills are vital.  Directions must be easy to comprehend, detailed, and clear.  Buy a cheap plastic shelf from a discount store.  Choose two volunteers from the group.  The first provides direction, in their own words, on how to assemble.  The second volunteer does the assembly.  Were clear instructions given?  If the volunteer rambled or gave confusion suggestions, show how it influenced the second volunteer’s ability to do the task.  Stress the importance of clear communication and tips for making it happen.

Time management, conflict resolution, and communication are just three aspects of leadership development that you should cover as a business coach.  Businesses generate income by selling a product or a service.  Yes, you want to focus on sales and marketing, but start at the base of the business.  Once that is functioning smoothly, the rest will start to fall into place.